Noriko Takaya
'''Noriko Takaya '''is the main protagonist of Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster, an anime OVA produced by Gainax. She is the pilot of Buster Machine #1, and the main pilot of Gunbuster. Background Noriko is the daughter of Yuzo Takaya, a famous space pilot, and captain of a ship known as the Luxion. Because of her dad's frequent trips into space, Noriko didn't get to see him very often. One day. the Luxion was attacked by a race of aliens known as Space Monsters, who decided to wipe out humanity to try and protect the rest of the universe from them. This led to most of the crew, including Noriko's father, getting killed. From that day on, Noriko swore to become a great space pilot like her dad, and enrolled in a special high school that trained teenage girls to become pilots. However, Noriko lacked skill in piloting, and was at the bottom of her class. When time came for the school to pick two students to pilot a machine capable of saving humanity from the Space Monsters, Noriko found that she was chosen to go, along with an upperclassman named Kazumi Amano. While initially distraught at being chosen, Noriko decided to work and improve her piloting before she went off into space, with the help of new coach Koichiro Oota, a survivor of the Luxion disaster. Noriko then went off into space with Oota and Kazumi and trained to defend Earth from the Space Monsters, and with Kazumi at her side, was placed into the pilot's seat of humanity's greatest weapon, the Gunbuster. Equipment * '''RX-7 Nausicaa: '''Noriko's main mecha before obtaining Buster Machine 1. The Nausicaa is the standard mecha piloted by human solders in the fight against the Space Monsters. While its a basic machine compared to more advanced technology like the Buster Machines, the Nausicaa is still reliable when it has to be. ** '''Lightning Staff: '''The Nausicaa's main armament. It is a double-edged lance used primarily for melee combat. ** '''Plasma Rod: '''A short, baton-like weapon that emits electric charges from the tip, allowing Noriko to use it to shock her target. ** '''Inazuma Kick: '''Noriko's trademark technique, and the first one she managed to use with the Nausicaa. After jumping high into the air, lightning flashes around the Nausicaa as it comes down and hits the target with an electrified drop kick. *** '''Inazuma Hanten Kick: '''A stronger version of the Inazuma Kick, where Noriko propels herself off a solid surface to hit the opponent instead of jumping to add power and speed to the blow. ** '''Flight: '''The Nausicaa is fitted with rocket-powered jets in the legs and back for flight. ** '''Nuclear Explosive: '''The Nausicaa can be fitted with a nuclear explosive that's used to take out large targets. * '''Buster Machine No. 1: '''Noriko's personal Buster Machine, which makes up half of the Gunbuster. By itself, the Buster Machine 1 is a spacecraft that is mainly only used for travel purposes. However, it does have some weaponry to make sure Noriko isn't defenseless without Buster Machine No. 2. ** '''Laser Projectors: '''Buster Machine #1 has several laser weapons on itself for offensive weaponry. ** '''Missile Pods: '''Buster Machine #1 is outfitted with missile pods, which fire homing rockets. ** '''Warp Engine: '''When the Buster Machine needs to travel a long distance in a short amount of time, it can use the Warp Engine to open up a wormhole, which it can travel through the shorten the time it takes to reach its destination. * '''Gunbuster: '''The combined form of Noriko's Buster Machine No. 1 and Kazumi's Buster Machine No. 2. It takes the form of a gigantic humanoid mecha covered in hidden weaponry. While Kazumi takes care of navigation for Gunbuster, Noriko controls its movements and weapons systems. See Gunbuster page for more information. Feats Strength * Defeated another RX-7 machine with one Inazuma Kick. * The Nausicaa can tear through the hull of a spaceship with its bare hands. * Capable of defeating smaller Space Monsters with ease. * Dug its fingers into a spaceship's metal hull and clung onto it as it traveled at light-speed. * Buster Machine #1's lasers can destroy Space Monsters. Speed * Reacted to and dodged a point-blank attack from another RX-7 machine. * Buster Machine #1 travels at near-light speeds constantly. Durability * The Nausicaa took a heavy beating from another RX-7. * The Nausicaa survived attacks from enemy Space Monsters. * The Nausicaa survived being flung across space at light-speed without breaking. * Buster Machine #1 tanked several attacks from the Space Monsters. Skill * Noriko is seen as one of Earth's best pilots. * Defeated a more experienced pilot with a single attack in the Nausicaa. * Using an incomplete Gunbuster, fended off hundreds of Space Monsters by herself. * Escorted Buster Machine III to the center of the galaxy and defended it from Space Monsters. * Helped save humanity from the Space Monsters. Weaknesses * Used to be a bit of a crybaby, but got over it. * Is pretty much defenseless outside of a mecha. * Needs Buster Machine #2 to form Gunbuster. Fun Facts * Noriko was named after her voice actress, Noriko Hidaka. * Noriko is a big fan of twentieth century anime, which explains her tendency to yell attack names at the top of her lungs. * Noriko's birthdate is September 12, 2006. Category:Anime/Manga Characters Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster Category:Gainax Category:Heroes Category:Pilots Category:Mechs Category:Lawful Good Category:Spear Users Category:Electricity Manipulators Category:Explosives Users Category:Completed Profiles Category:Humans